Author and Freelance Writer

I always wanted to be an author or freelance writer and wrote my first, embarrassingly awful, novel while still in school. I began writing seriously in my twenties: articles; short stories for magazines; stories for children’s comics, and hundreds of verses for greetings cards. But eventually, the demands of family, a full time job, and running a business, meant writing took a back seat.

I lived most of my life in Oxfordshire but enjoyed some wonderful family holidays on Exmoor. One day, I vowed, I will go there to live. And I did – but I had to wait until I retired to realise that dream.

So, here I am. Since living here, I have become fascinated by the history and legends of Exmoor and its people. People like William Burgess who murdered his six-year-old daughter, Anna Maria in 1858. (The Murder of Anna Maria,) And the many Exmoor characters who are commemorated in the stained glass windows of Exmoor churches. All have provided material for books. (Stained Glass in Exmoor Churches)

The Exmoor countryside, with its rugged coast and wild moors, has influenced my romantic novels and many short stories. It has also been a rich source of material for writing about the history and people of Exmoor.

In 2014, I gained a BA (Hons) degree with Open University, studying creative writing, and I am now a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Writing about gardens and plants

I also love gardening and you can find me on Instagram, writing about plants.

 Publishing

I publish as Aller Books, named after the River Aller which flows through the village where we were living at the time.

Long gone are the days when publishers took care of publicity and marketing and all the author had to do was produce the next book. Nowadays, authors are expected to do all their own publicity and marketing in return for a small royalty, while the publisher pockets the profits. Which is why, with the advent of the internet, huge numbers of writers now publish independently, and why I, too decided to become an ‘indie’ author.